


Clatter of hooves

by Ladyblanc_RU



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempted Kidnapping, Creature Jaskier | Dandelion, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia Apologizes, Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mentioned Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Nilfgaard, Non-Human Jaskier | Dandelion, Post-Episode: s01e08 Much More, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:20:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27163754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladyblanc_RU/pseuds/Ladyblanc_RU
Summary: He knew that words had always spread fast, especially during a war when spies lurked around carefully listening. Nilfgaard was searching for him, trying to corner and get information they needed. And one night they succeeded in their goal almost killing him in the woods. However, Destiny clearly had other plans on this witcher.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 2
Kudos: 50





	Clatter of hooves

I

It happened in the middle of the night.

Moon shone softly from its high skies almost closed with trees and their leaves. The forest around him was quiet, no living creature dared to break this blessed silence, and only one slow heartbeat barely heard. Witcher sat alone in this wildness still like some kind of pale marble statue and meditated after a battle, chopped head of some monster still lied besides him. His eyes were closed; however, he still wasn't vulnerable. With ears carefully listening and two long swords on his back, he was more than prepared to fight, even now when his thoughts were really far away.

What was he thinking about? About the girl he had to leave at hidden ancient fortress, about his brothers and mentor, who was protecting his child from any danger at their home. He also thought about a sorceress he so foolishly lost because of one momentary desire, and his only friend. While the witcher could easily toss away an image of that beautiful, imperious, even dangerous woman with deep violet eyes, an image of a human bard, who willingly tied himself to a someone as the witcher, was impossible to forget. He remembered those blue cornflower eyes filled with crystal tears, that clear voice which always reminded him about a mountain river. And his own cruel words he said to his only friend during one of their adventures. They rang in his head making witcher feel even the tiniest beats of pain his bard had to went through.

Now he understood what he had lost. But that wasn't always. In the beginning, he wholeheartedly believed that without this annoying distraction his life would finally become... more tolerable, to say at least. However, it ended up being even worse than before. It had been somehow lonelier than he expected. Much lonelier. There were no one to talk to during boring hours of travelling, or in the long evenings alone in the woods. Things especially had been hard when he actually entered taverns only to be greeted with rare, but questions about his travelling companion and his whereabouts, so every time he had been forced to repeat the same dam thing. _We aren't travelling together anymore._ And every time those words escaped his lips, he felt worse than before he entered the tavern in the first place, guilt pressed him down even more.

Witcher knew he messed up, knew he shouldn't have ever done said all those things to keep Jaskier at an arm length, neither he should've lashed at his friend out like he did. However, he still didn't want to admit that he might have something for bard. More than friendship to be specific. This was the reason he started this shit in the first place, admit and accept it now would be a total disaster. And he wouldn't have ever admit that.

Yes, he felt worse than any time before in his life, thought this still seemed like a better alternative than actually rejoining Jaskier. Witcher ignored everything he felt whether it was something good or bad, pulled his stoic mask antc continued his job. However, one time he had lost his shit when some barmaid on the question whether Jaskier passed the city recently answered that the bard must be really busy with one Countess he had been told to be engaged with. Witcher was angry. With himself, this stupid barmaid and this talks about marriage. He wanted to beat the shit out of anyone who dared to spread those rumors — and he really tried to believe that those were just rumors.

That evening he finally understood how important was this childish, always open-hearted to everyone minstrel with his jokes, songs, philosophical talks, and that he couldn't just throw bard away. He thought a lot about his recent feelings coming to a conclusion he both liked and hated. And that’s why the witcher was there. To find one of his family member he so stupidly lost — and yes, Jaskier had really been so important for him. Sadly enough it took years and a lot of ale to figure that out.

_If only I hadn’t sent you away, said those sharp words…_

Witcher's horse loudly exhaled, returning its owner to reality, and shook its mane in a peaceful dream, ears twitched when loud crack echoed in the forest. The man stood up, throwing a hood of his cloak off. Nothing happened, silence once again filled the air. He took his hand from the hilt of a sword looking around, sniffing the air. No scents, no sound. Only sharp feeling of a danger. Then there were quite click, horse near him cried in pain when an arrow hit its neck making it collapse and gasp in pain. Witcher looked around, small wind brought first scent. Familiar. The one he was expecting to feel since his escape from Cintra. _Nilfgaard._ He thought glancing at his dead companion lying on the ground. _Won't kill me. They need information._ Witcher quickly turned to the next sound he heard quite close.

Somebody stepped on a twig. Angry shush echoed through the woods. Witcher smirked hearing two heartbeats there. "Come out and face me. There's no need to hide anymore."

As he said that, two figures slowly slid from the darkness, like they were a part of the night, and with loud scream rushed towards attacking the witcher, who only smirked getting moving his legs in rack. Steel glimpsed in moonlight, dark blood stained the grass, scream rang through the woods. Witcher easily appeared behind the first warrior slicing his throat open and then jumped away from second man. Nilfgaardian tried to hit his enemy, but before he could do anything else, gold cat-like eyes lit up in front of him, metal cut his head off.

That's not the end. There will be more. Ground shook under his legs as more warriors stroked from the trees quickly cornering their target. "Fuck!" witcher swore unleashing his second sword. There were too many enemies for his liking, but surrender wasn't an option either. _If I go down today, I will go down fighting._ As if this though was a command, shadows collided in death dance, even more blood spilled on the ground. Humans screamed slashing witcher, each other, anything only to hit unknown thing. To please their commander. Monster hunter was swimming in bodies' ocean, his swords piercing through soft meat and then quickly coming out with disgusting sound. His moves were perfect, well trained, though, even with all this afford, it wasn't enough. His skills weren’t enough.

He could feel life slowly escaping his body through many scratches and one long deep wound on his side. After a while, moves lost their quickness, his reactions weren't as sharp, vision blurred, but he continued pushing himself, making his weakened body fight. No matter how hard he needed simply to catch a normal breath, no matter how he was losing to this endless, dark sea of bodies. He had to fight, to keep her safe. _Come on, bastards._ Witcher thought catching a second to take a deep breath, long blood stream ran on his face. A moment of silence, and then he could feel it. The ground was shaking as if a thousand of horses were running here to his rescue. _The fuck?_ He shoved this thought aside and used this moment of stupor to attack two closest to him warriors cutting their heads off, before even more shadows invaded with loud war cries, their hooves stomped intact with their voices. Witcher had never seen these creatures before. _I'm doomed._ It stroke him as creatures began to fight fiercely crashing humans with their swords and arrows. Suddenly, one shadow rushed right at him with graceful long jumps. Witcher shook his body a bit, he was prepared to fight. But not to hear too familiar voice.

"Get on my back, Geralt, quick!" shadow shouted loudly to be heard in this madness of different noises of dying humans.

"Jaskier?" witcher asked surprised dodging an attack from gods know where warrior. Monster hunter wasn't ready to see his friend — his peaceful bard, to be accurate — in the middle of a fucking fight.

"No, Yennifer. For fuck's sake, Geralt... Watch out!" Jaskier screamed as another nilfgaardian tried to attack the witcher from his back. The said bard quickly took his bow out piercing attacker's forehead with long arrow. "We need to go! And fast."

Without any further arguments Geralt hopped on his friend's back noticing small deer horns in front of him. Strong legs momentarily took off running deeper in the woods, while the upper body were shooting at everyone who dared to cut their route to safety. He wasn’t sure where he was taken, but it was the last thing he was worrying about at that moment. Witcher's head was aching, his whole body trembled from blood loss. He felt cold, everything around him blurred. Trees slowly became one green mass flashing before his eyes, clatter of hooves pierced his aching mind sending Geralt deeper in unconsciousness.

"Hang on there!" Jaskier shouted to him only for a brief moment looking at him over his shoulder. “Don't you dare diyng on my back!”

Witcher hummed something in response slowly closing his eyes. If he were to die today, he was glad he would die near his friend, which Geralt was sure he wouldn’t see anymore. Not after everything that happened between them. As his mind sank deeper in darkness, he was able to mumble quietly, "I'm sorry, Jaskier." And then everything went dark.

II

He opened his eyes in a dark room with a sharp gasp waking up from nightmare he saw. Everything around him was dark with only a dim moon light providing some light. Geralt shook his head quickly tossing this dream away and looked around trying to remember as much as he could with his clouded from tiredness mind. _Centaurs, Nilfgaard, Jaskier. Jaskier!_ An image of his friend from the last night popped in his head making all his weakened body tremble. He found him. He finally found the one he was looking for past years, and even the strange fact about bard’s true nature couldn’t change the feeling of pure happiness which bloomed in his chest. _I have to find him!_ Witcher tried to get up from the bed he was lying on, feeling his whole body protesting againt his every move, when a loud voice of a centaur he didn’t even notice before stopped him.

“Don’t rush, witcher,” ordered deep female voice. Geralt looked around quickly spotting a tall half-deer woman, whose human part looked similar to Jaskier. Stranger came closer to him with fresh bandages, “I’ve spent past two days not allowing you to die and using hell ton of magic on you, so if you make things worse now, I won’t try again,” she quickly brushed her hair away revealing a pair of fluffy deer ears and leaned closet to change the patch on Geralt’s flank, “Even with Julian and his pleads,” he tensed at the mentioning of Jaskier’s true name. 

Meanwhile, she just ignored his reaction continuing her work with fast well-practised moves. She wasn't too mercy with him clearly looking irritated with the fact that she had to heal an outsider, "Couldn't he found someone else? Why is it always me the one to fix the damage?" centaur growled quietly pouring some kind of potion right into Geralt's wound. Witcher hissed in pain clenching sheets beneath him. She gave him mocking look. "Looking tough, behaving weak. Human classic." Geralt opened his mouth to respond, but the healer simply shut him up with a heavy glare. He didn't feel like arguing with someone who saved him anyway. She finished her work fast straightening and leaving with a pat on his shoulder, "Now rest, princess. Your prince was shooed away for getting in the way."

Instead of asking all those questions he had in his head, witcher simply nodded allowing himself to drift away in the darkness. He was safe, Jaskier was safe, and everything else could wait untill the morning. Besides, it wasn't like this healer would be eager to talk to him more as well.

***

When Geralt woke up again, sun was already shining brightly outside. He sat on the bed feeling slightly sore, though much better than the last time he was conscious. He just wanted to leave the bed to look for someone to navigate him when a voice from earlier echoed in the room. "Woke up, big boy? How are ya feeling?"

"Still like a bag of shit, but no signs of dying anytime soon."

Centaur smirked walking up to him to change bandages for the last time. She didn't seem as irritated as before, though he still could smell badly hidden disgust as she continued her work. He couldn't blame her. After a few moments of awkward silence, she suddenly lifted her head and asked. “What’s your name? I’m Roxan.”

“I’m Geralt,” he held his hand out for a handshake. Roxi in front of him grinned, but still took the offering, “Thank you for your help back there. I would’ve been in Nilfgaardian prison by now if you hadn’t showed up with your warriors.”

“Don’t thank me for that,” Roxan sharply answered pulling bandages tightly, which made witcher hiss quietly trough his teeth from a wave of pain, “Our forces would’ve kill you as any other human if Julian hadn’t been there. We normally don’t help white skinned bastards, just kill them when they cross the border, but this little brother of mine somehow persuaded elders to spare you. Heard you don’t kill sentient beings?”

“My code doesn’t allow me to,” Geralt nodded felling his flank aching after bandaging, though it was still better than straight after the battle, “We don’t kill creatures which aren’t doing any harm.”

“And what about us?” Roxan asked coldly walking away from his bed, her hooves clattered on the floor, “Sure you heard ‘bout our kind, witcher. We kill everyone who slightly crosses our borders no matter human, dwarf or elf. We crush villages with our force, curse these woods to help us survive. Isn’t that a notable example of a great harm?” she turned around leaning on a high table, some strange fire lit deeply in her dark brown eyes, which were fixed on the witcher.

“You’re just protecting yourselves,” Geralt simply answered, slowly getting up from his bed and taking first cautious steps towards Roxan. He looked straight to her eyes showing that he wasn’t even slightly afraid of her and her large frame, “You don’t kill just because you’re bored, or your fists simply feel like fighting. We all want the best to our close ones. It’s just the way nature works.”

Centaur smirked exhaling sharply and put her hand at witcher’s shoulder straightening up, “I see now why Julian wanted to save you so badly,” Geralt felt something warm spilled inside him after these words as well as he could hear a bit of softence in her low voice, “You’ve impressed me, witcher. Be proud of it.” She finished holding out one of his bags with things, from which two swords stuck out.

“I sure am, Roxan,” Geralt nodded taking his things and easily putting on a bag behind his back.

“Hey, call me Roxi,” she carefully patted his shoulder and pushed him slightly towards an exit of the room, “Come on now, we need to find that little bastard for you to have a talk with him.”

Geralt gave her an appreciative look, on which Roxi just rolled her eyes hiding in this gesture a small smile on her face. She left the room in silence leading him outside the house, and witcher followed hoping with his entire body that Jaskier wouldn’t push him away. _I understand what I’ve lost when sent you away. And nothing can fill this hole except you._ Two years ago he would’ve been surprised and even terrified by these thoughts and strange warm feeling whenever a good memory about the bard crossed his mind. Before, he would've tried to bury them inside, ignore and push Jaskier away, make him realise what monster witcher truly was. But not now. Now it seemed somehow right to feel that way. Fuck, he really should've stopped fighting all of these earlier.

III

When they walked outside, Geralt had to stop for a second allowing a group of kids strike past him with loud laughter. They were playing with big moss ball throwing it around, almost hitting others around them in the crossfire. Other centaurs were simply doing their daily duties: cutting wood, working on farms. The whole picture was so peaceful and natural it seemed odd that these creatures were considered extinct and extremely aggressive in witcher’s books. Roxi near him smirked watching a gleam of amazement ran through monster hunter’s face. “Bet they don’t write much truth about us, do they?”

“That’s true,” Geralt nodded pushing himself away from the view and continuing to follow the path Jaskier’s sister showed him before, “You’re said to be extremely aggressive, though the most of my kind thinks you’re extinct.”

“I’m not surprised people think about us that way,” she said with a grin on her face slowly leading witcher away from the village. Centaurs around them pretty much ignored the white haired stranger on their territory, and Geralt was sure that was because he was with Roxi. It looked like his escort was well respected by others, “When they encounter a creature, which just protect its home, they tend to think it’s dangerous and aggressive,” Roxi stopped to help a kid, whose hoove were stuck in a crack in the ground. Little boy thanked her and quickly ran away not looking at the witcher. _Creatures that are considered a huge threat to everyone else treated me better than any ‘innocent’ human even if they were convinced to do so. Impressive._ “Guess, that’s works to anyone even slightly different to them, witcher?”

“It works, indeed. Even slightest changes in appearance can make you a living target in their eyes. I thought, Jaskier liked them because he was human as well, but now I don’t see a reason. Shouldn’t he hate them like the rest of you?”

“You have a bit wrong opinion, witcher. Not every centaur hates humans, we just don’t want to end up like banished elves. We fight to protect our home, to banish villages which are too close to us, but we still sometimes go to the town to buy things we need,” Roxi simply explained, her tail twitched scaring mosquitoes away, “And Julian was always a bit different. We all enjoy music, some of us play musical instruments as well as he. We are all satisfied with the way things are. Julian, on the other hand, was always too kind, too caring, too childish for being a warrior. He might not be the best fighter or hunter, but everyone was always drawn to him and his kindness,” she stopped when they heard a familiar voice singing quietly. Geralt noticed that it was shaking a bit, bard clearly was sad or even crying while performing, and this really hurt. He hated to see Jaskier crying. “Guess, that’s why he’s so popular. Now go, you have to calm him down. He was out here ever since I told him to let me do my work. Not wanting to return, nor to stop singing.”

“Thank you for everything.” Geralt bowed slightly making Roxi laugh quietly.

“As I said, you don’t owe anything to me,” she pointed her hand at the small bushes, behind which they could hear a softly singing, “You owe a brother of mine.”

Witcher nodded watching Roxi disappearing in the woods. He felt awful, bard’s sobbing voice pierced his heart. Geralt perfectly knew what, or rather who his minstrel was crying about. _You don’t deserve this._ He thought taking a deep breath and stepping over bushes that set him apart from meeting with his friend. _You suffered because of me for two years. No words can make up for this._ Something twisted in his stomach. _But I will try to make up for my mistake. I can’t travel without you even longer._

Geralt pushed himself further and stepped out on a clearing. Bard sat in front of him in his human, vulnerable form strumming his lute and singing a song witcher hadn’t hear before. He wanted to hug his friend, apologize for everything he so foolishly said in anger, but was quickly cut off by a stream of words sang in shaking voice by the minstrel:

Her current is pulling you closer  
And charging the hot, humid night  
The red sky at dawn is giving a warning, you fool  
Better stay out of sight  
I'm weak my l… l… love…

Jaskier gasped for more air, his fingers misplaced a chord. Beautiful melodic voice quickly changed for ugly sobs mixed with mumbling questions he asked hiding his face in hands. That was when Geralt finally decided to interfere. He slowly approached minstrel quietly calling him by his name, until Jaskier scarily shouted bouncing away from the witcher. “Oh, Geralt. It’s you,” he said quietly wiping his cheeks from salty tears, though his red eyes and dark circles showed his true state. “Glad you’re alright.”

Geralt froze seeing an ugly pathetic smile his friend tried to crack in attempt to look carefree as if nothing ever happened. They both knew it was a lie. So, when witcher slowly shortened the distance between them and cautiously hugged his bard, Jaskier broke down. He clenched to the strong frame around him in his only support, tears falling on Geralt’s shirt, his nails piercing through rough fabric. His voice trembled, words came out cramped and almost impossible to understand, but Geralt didn’t need that. He simply knew everything that bard mumbled in his shoulder crying uncontrollably. _Why, Geralt? Why did you do that to me? Why did you let me think I even meant something to you in the first place?_ These and a whole bunch of other questions Jaskier was trying to ask him haunted witcher’s mind, piercing mercilessly. As he did on that fucking mountain top.

He was always bad with words, and now it was almost a matter of life and death for him to say something. At least, try to explain this terrible weight inside him every time he had even slightest thought that Jaskier might die before him, because of him and his dammed lifestyle of danger, monsters, hatred. Or how comfortable Geralt felt when his bard was around, how small touches they had exchanged throughout the years and that charming smile of minstrel’s made his heart skip a beat. How he wanted to desperately… _No matter what I feel, what I think. He loved me all this time, while I was trying to ignore everything I had for him. If only I had known, saw signs, we wouldn’t have to deal with all this mess now._

Silently cursing himself for such deadly blindness, Geralt started to rub his friend’s back in attempts to calm him down, to bring some comfort over that bleeding wound, but Jaskier just made himself pull away from the witcher — Geralt clearly saw in his eyes that bard didn’t want to do this — to whisper one simple question. “Why, Geralt?”

Witcher looked away, feeling heavy guilt mixing up with hot embarrassment as he opened his mouth to explain everything, praying that he wouldn’t be pushed away, “I was never pretending, Jaskier. I really thought of you as my friend, Nenneke can easily prove that, and enjoyed our every adventure we went on. Even when I had to rescue you from another trouble,” Geralt saw small glimpse of trust and hope in bard’s glare, his heart fastened a bit, “You showed me what does it mean to be wanted, to be accepted whole. With a tangle of morals, contradictive thoughts. And on that mountain, I’ve not meant any words I said to you. I was angry with myself for my mistakes, I took all that anger on you.” Jaskier slowly approached him and hesitantly put his hand on Geralt’s face. Witcher was almost ashamed seeing those blue eyes lit with softness and understanding and feeling huge wave of relief crushing inside of him.

“But you don’t deserve it. Not after everything we went through together, how well you treated me and showed a whole new world. It took me too much time to realize you are not just my friend, Jaskier,” Geralt slowly took bard’s hand in his still hesitant to touch him without a permission. Bard simply nodded allowing this touch to happen, “You’ve become my family. Someone I care for, can trust with everything,” he paused to take a deep breath, everything inside him tensed. Now or never. “But most important, someone I love.”

Jaskier gave him a surprised look, wide happy smile spread on his face. He softly ran his fingers though Geralt’s white hair making their foreheads touch, golden cat-like eyes looked in deep blue ocean, all their disagreements melted away like a snow under spring sun. “And you don’t mind that I’m not human?” Jaskier whispered afraid to hear the answer. 

Witcher slightly shook his head not wanting to break the moment with sharp moves and answered quietly back, “No, Jaskier. No, fuck. I was afraid I will have to outlive you one day,” he said slightly to harsh making bard flinch in either surprise or fear. Geralt cursed and continued quietly, “No matter how hard I tried to protect you, you would still have to go away. Humans' lives are so fragile and short,” vague memory of Remfri appeared in his head, “I didn't want to fail you as I once did with someone else. Burying you would've crushed me. So, I thought, if I didn't allow myself to get too attached, to get too close, I wouldn't feel pain when you'd have to go.” he breathed out in one go, feeling Jaskier's hand gently coming down from his head to a shoulder.

"You never knew I wasn't human," it wasn't a question, just a simple fact Jaskier suddenly realized, "Doesn't your medallion react to any source of magic? I thought, you've figured my glamour out ages ago, and that you pushed me away simply because..." bard started to gibber his guesses.

"No, Jaskier, I had no idea of what you were," Geralt softly cut in not wanting to make bard say all that terrible things he did out loud once again. It might've been selfish of him, but he wanted to forget every stupid thing he had ever said to push minstrel away, "I knew you had a magic of some sorts, though I was sure you were simply making yourself look better. To hide some imperfections in your appearance," now that he thought more about Jaskier's strange habits of collecting flowers, walking for hours without feeling tired, or his love for nature, Geralt understood more and more just how stupid and blind he was. _Everything in your behavior gave me hints I ignored too afraid of losing you to actually notice. Even Yen knew something was off, but I didn't listen. I was such a bad friend all along..._

“Looks like I was just hiding very well.” Jaskier giggled gently interrupting witcher’s thought, bard’s voice filled with nothing more than softness. His blue eyes were shining brightly with happiness. Witcher breathed in deeply, familiar scent of woods and rain filled his nose.

“Will you travel with me again? That if you let me prove myself a worthy travel companion.” Geralt blurt out, memories of Jaskier saying these words on a mountain top popped up in his head. _If only I said yes that day..._

Minstrel just smiled back hugging his witcher closer, bard’s chin resting on his shoulder, “Yes, darling,” tear fell on a dark fabric of witcher’s shirt, warmth filled both men’s bodies. “Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks everyone for reading! Let me know in the comments what do you think about all of this.


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